Dear friends,
On this date, Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumter, marking the beginning of the Civil War. In a divided nation, it is hard not to think about our national propensity for violence.
Last year, more than 42,000 Americans died from gun violence; twice that number survived gun violence, with enduring physical and psychological scars.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the 1873 Colfax Massacre, a brutal, racist response to the hotly contested gubernatorial contest in Louisiana. The possibility of a Republican triumph during Reconstruction led
white Southerners [to form] a heavily armed insurgent army called the White League. Similar to the Ku Klux Klan, the White League was a paramilitary group that intimidated and attacked Black residents.
Black people in Colfax saw the Democrats poised to seize control of the local government; they posted an all-Black militia in the courthouse. Then, the white mob fired a cannon at the courthouse until members of the Black militia were forced to surrender.
In the ensuing massacre, three white men and as many as 150 Black men were killed.
The historian Eric Foner characterized the Colfax Massacre as
“[t]he bloodiest single instance of racial carnage in the Reconstruction era, [which showed] the lengths to which some opponents of Reconstruction would go to regain their accustomed authority.”
New Mexico’s governor recently signed legislation that prohibits people from openly carrying a gun within 100 feet of a polling place and within half that distance to a drop box. In Virginia, a similar law was vetoed.
Connecticut, Michigan, Vermont, and California are seeking to ban firearms at polling locations or expand existing restrictions.
And, because you cannot make this stuff up: A Colorado state legislator unwittingly left a loaded 9mm handgun in a public bathroom in the capitol earlier this week.
Although no charges will be filed against the lawmaker, who publicly apologized, the Colorado legislature is considering
a “sensitive spaces” bill that would ban firearms in the capitol building for everyone excluding law enforcement.
If you reside in CT, MI, VT, or CA, contact your state legislators to voice support for expanded gun restrictions. DIY and then share your action and I’ll post it.
Only about a dozen states and Washington, DC completely prohibit people from carrying a gun — either openly or concealed — at a polling place. The bulk have passed their measures since the 2020 election, when an election denialism movement led by former President Donald Trump and his supporters at times sparked violence.
The new rule is estimated to impact a little over 20,000 people engaged in unlicensed firearms sales, according to a senior White House official.
And yes, the NRA is up in arms, outraged at the infringement upon their so-called gun rights.
Just as the NRA opposes regulation of guns to the detriment of the public, there are lobbyists like National Fuel that are working to squash the energy transition. National Fuel profits from fracking and opposes limits on the market for fossil fuels such as those contained in the NY HEAT Act.
The Better Buildings NY Coalition is running ads to criticize the company’s opposition to the NY HEAT Act, which will eliminate subsidies for the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. The bill has other features that insulate low- and moderate-income customers from higher costs for heating and cooling their homes during the energy transition.
Pass the NY HEAT Act! This quick action is from Better Buildings NY.
New Yorkers have “a right to clean air and water and a healthful environment.” So, we have a constitutional basis for calling on state leaders to reject the permit for Iroquois Pipeline, which would allow increased gas compression and transmission through their 414-mile pipeline, which runs from the Canadian border to Long Island and NYC.
The permit would allow Iroquois to double the size of four toxic gas compressor stations. It’s time to phase out fossil fuels. Permitting this expansion is climate violence.
Tell Governor Hochul and NY’s Department of Environmental Conservation to deny the permit to allow Iroquois to send more gas through their pipeline. This quick action is from NY Renews.
Passover starts in 11 days. JFREJ and a number of other organizations are bringing New Yorkers together for an Emergency Seder in the Streets to call for an end to US funding for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
Join the Emergency Seder in the Streets on the second night!
with love,
L